Paris Jackson has revealed that life at Neverland Ranch with her father, Michael Jackson, was far from the amusement park fantasy many might imagine. In a recent podcast interview, she explained that the ranch's attractions were strictly off-limits unless she and her brothers completed their chores and homework.
Life at Neverland
Paris, now an adult, clarified that she didn't actually grow up on the 2,700-acre ranch in Santa Barbara County, California. She was there for the "first few years" of her life, but her childhood was reportedly disciplined. The King of Pop, who died in 2009 aged 50, was known for his lavish spending, reflected in the 12,000sqft French Normandy-style mansion and the sprawling ranch, which included an amusement park, private zoo, and movie theatre.
Michael had three children: Paris and her brothers, Prince and Bigi Jackson. Bigi was previously known by the nickname "Blanket" before changing his name in 2015. Paris was 11, Prince 12, and Bigi seven when their father died from a drug overdose.
Attractions Off-Limits
Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Paris said: "I'd wake up and I'd go to school. I'd wake up and we go to the room that was our classroom and we would go to school." She added: "It was made very, very clear that all of the attractions there were not for us, that did not belong to us. That was for underprivileged children and children that were terminally ill that couldn't go to Disneyland."
Neverland Ranch, now Sycamore Valley Ranch, was Michael's main residence and sanctuary at the height of his fame. It became a symbol of his wealth and extravagance, as well as his well-documented desire to recapture his childhood. The name "Neverland" was taken from the fictional world of Peter Pan, where children never grow up.
Rewards for Good Behavior
Paris explained that the children were rewarded for good behavior: "The cool, like very congruent line throughout my childhood that kind of started there and then just continued on wherever we went, was if you're good and you do your chores and you do your homework. And you do the things that you're supposed to do, then on the weekends you can go see some animals and you can go ride some rides and you can go to the movies."
She said it was a similar case when it came to TV and films, too, with the kids barred from watching unless they were "studying it for film with the sound off" or it was the weekend and they'd completed their duties. Paris acknowledged that it would've been "cool" if she were allowed free rein on the ranch, but this wasn't the case. She added: "I probably would have grown up to be an a*****e".
